Summary: | As important pollinators, honeybees and bumblebees present a pollination behavior that is influenced by flower volatiles through the olfactory system. In this study, volatile compounds from melon flowers were isolated and identified by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and their effects on <i>Apis mellifera</i> and <i>Bombus terrestris</i> were investigated by electroantennogram (EAG) and behavior tests (Y-tube olfactometer). The results showed that 77 volatile compounds were detected in melon flowers, among which the relative content of aldehydes was the highest (61.34%; 82.09%). <i>A. mellifera</i> showed a strong EAG response to e-2-hexenal, e-2-octenal, and 1-nonanal. <i>B. terrestris</i> showed a strong EAG response to e-2-hexenal, e-2-octenal, 2,5-dimethyl-benzaldehyde, benzaldehyde and benzenepropanal. In behavior tests, the volatiles with the highest attractive rate to <i>A. mellifera</i> were e-2-hexenal (200 μg/μL, 33.33%) and e-2-octenal (300 μg/μL, 33.33%), and those to <i>B. terrestris</i> were e-2-hexenal (10 μg/μL, 53.33%) and 2,5-dimethyl-benzaldehyde (100 μg/μL, 43.33%). E-2-hexenal and e-2-octenal were more attractive to <i>A. mellifera</i> than <i>B. terrestris</i>, respectively (10 μg/μL, 10 μg/μL, 200 μg/μL). In conclusion, the volatiles of melon flowers in facilities have certain effects on the electrophysiology and behavior of bees, which is expected to provide theoretical and technical support for the pollination of <i>A. mellifera</i> and <i>B. terrestris</i> in facilities.
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